Partly because I've never wanted the clothes I make to look as though I bought them in a shop: I want them to look hand-made. Hopefully, they look beautifully hand-made, but certainly I don't want them to look factory-made.
Partly because I think that the seam finish an overlocker produces isn't attractive. Functional and efficient, yes, but not good-looking in the way a French seam or bound hem is.
Partly because I wriggle uncomfortably at a quick 'n' easy mentality that I have (unfairly, I admit, seeing as how they aren't sentient...) assigned to overlockers: as I've ranted before, what's wrong with making a bit of an effort? And why the hurry? Being a bit slow can be good.
Anyway, after being told by Tilly in no uncertain terms, but with great charm, that overlockers are excellently useful bits of kit, I booked on to a one-day 'how to use an overlocker' course at Morley College. And there I learned what most of you already know: that overlockers are indeed excellently useful bits of kit, and they are not as difficult to thread as I imagined.
Then I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace (as a punter rather than an exhibitor: I'm taking a year off), and Janome had a show offer on overlockers, and so...
...this arrived this morning.
So I am getting my patterns out, reviewing my stash, and this WILL be the winter in which I make more clothes. I'm going to aim for one garment a month. Surely that's possible...
My friend Liz swears by hers - it takes me an hour to thread a single needle in my sewing machine, that would make me go blind! x
ReplyDeleteIt did come pre-threaded, but I am slightly dreading the first time a thread breaks...
Deletewe went to the knitting and stitching show at alexandra palace on saturday 11th of october 2014. a great time as usual w ego every year. however, we looked at different stalls.came across a stall with sewing machines and various items. and one big plus for my daughter, who makes a lot of her own things . she saw an overlocker by toyota. she looked up about them in the magazines and online. ebay were expensive for secondhand ones. however we bought one brand new , toyota £159.99 it has 4 spools. and the woman said when it gets low on the spool, join it up by a small knot. a good tip. hope this will be useful.x
DeleteWhen I first started making clothes, I didn't have a sewing machine, so used to do tiny blanket stitches around all the raw edges, that alone would take a month. Fortunately, I've moved on a bit since then, but an overlocker–that's serious kit!
ReplyDeleteBlanket-stitched seam allowances! That's proper hand-made. I'm imagining all the seams were backstitched, too...
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